Daily Herald expanded football Top 20

First and 10

School Week 9 result/Playoff opponent

1. Hersey (9-0) Beat Prospect 48-35 / winner of Yorkville/Palatine

An offense that has been unstoppable all season was never better than last week’s win over an 8-0 Prospect that had been allowing just 11 points a game. Kentucky commit Jake Nawrot threw for 343 yards while Jackson Travis ran for 310. They get a week off before a potential path to the 7A state title game could go through a pair of West Suburban Silver toughies, Glenbard West and Downers Grove North.

2. Geneva (8-1) Beat St. Charles East 42-21 / winner Noble-Bulls/Carmel

St. Charles East made Geneva work for its first outright DuKane championship last week, leading 21-0 before the Vikings scored the final 42 points. Illinois recruit Bennett Konkey caught 15 passes for 184 yards in the comeback. Geneva could get a challenge right away in the 6A field against Carmel, just 3-6 but against a schedule that included Hersey, Providence, St. Ignatius, Fenwick and Montini — the later escaping with a 42-35 win over the Corsairs.

3. Downers Grove North (8-1) Beat Proviso East 58-0 / winner of Prosser/West Chicago

The Trojans came up one point short of a perfect regular season, an 18-17 overtime loss to York in Week 7. They could see St. Rita in the second round of the 7A playoffs. If they reach the semifinals, a rematch against Glenbard West — who the Trojans beat 24-14 in Week 4 — or undefeated Hersey are possibilities.

4. Maine South (8-1) Beat Glenbrook South 41-34 / winner of O’Fallon/Joliet West

After a string of blowout wins, the Hawks had to rally from a 34-27 deficit in the fourth quarter last week for their eighth straight victory. Their path in the 8A playoffs could go through Chicago Catholic League foes St. Ignatius in the second round and Loyola in the third round. Maine South is hungry for a longer postseason stay after a second-round loss to Oswego a year ago.

5. Prospect (8-1) Lost to Hersey 48-35 / winner of Hampshire/DePaul Prep

The Knights couldn’t keep pace with Hersey last week, losing the MSL East championship in front of 5,000 fans. They have a week off to recover and a pretty manageable path to the 7A quarterfinals where they could run into East St. Louis, up from 6A into the 7A field this year.

6. IC Catholic Prep (8-1) Beat Joliet Catholic 6-0 / winner of Genoa/North Boone

The defense did the trick last week, keeping JCA off the scoreboard to make up for the Knights’ lowest point total of the year, by far. IC Catholic scored at least 22 points in every other game, and look for those numbers to take off again when the 3A playoffs begin.

7. Huntley (9-0) Beat McHenry 51-0 / winner of Curie/Oswego East

A 51-0 win was a fitting way for the Red Raiders to finish the regular season — that brings their season margin to 431-65. Surely the games will get much more competitive against the 8A playoff field, though maybe not until the quarterfinal round. Junior quarterback Malik Carter will enter the playoffs with an 80.2 completion percentage, 105 of 131 for 1,783 yards, 22 touchdowns and no interceptions.

8. Montini (7-2) Beat St. Francis 28-24 / winner of Geneseo/North Chicago

Can the Broncos make it three straight state championships behind Miami-bound quarterback Izzy Abrams? It was a battle to get to 7-2 at this point with six of Montini’s nine contests a one-score game that came down to the final minutes — and in some cases final seconds. A rematch of last year’s 4A semifinal could come in the second round against unbeaten Morris, and a rematch of last year’s state title game — a 47-33 win over Rochester — is a possibility.

9. Batavia (7-2) Beat WW South 27-24 / winner of Lincoln-Way Central/Jefferson

The Bulldogs made sure Coach Piron Day was a happy one last Friday in Batavia, pulling out a tight win that should serve as good preparation for the playoffs. The Bulldogs will need it as they didn’t get any breaks with their 7A draw that could include Brother Rice in the second round, undefeated No. 1 seed Normal in the quarterfinals and East St. Louis in the semis.

10. Antioch (9-0) Beat Wauconda 21-0 / winner of Payton/Glenbard South

Antioch’s three toughest games turned out to be the first three of the season. The Sequoits dominated every opponent after that, including 7-2 Wauconda last week. That earned them a No. 1 seed in the top half of the 5A bracket, a half that includes area schools and possible games against Glenbard South, Wauconda, Wheaton Academy, Kaneland and Cary-Grove.

Second and 10

11. York (6-3) Beat Lyons 16-14 / Bloom

12. Glenbard West (6-3) Beat Proviso West 56-6 / winner of Moline/Benet

13. Wheaton Warrenville South (6-3) Lost to Batavia 27-24 / winner of Joliet Catholic/Bourbonnais

14. Naperville North (7-2) Lost to East St. Louis 35-8 / winner of Fremd/Taft

15. Wheaton North (6-3) Beat Glenbard North 14-7 / winner of Addison Trail/Rolling Meadows

16. Hinsdale Central (6-3) Beat Oak Park-River Forest 21-19 / Lake Park

17. Jacobs (8-1) Beat Crystal Lake S. 56-21 / winner of Hoffman Estates/Glenbard N.

18. Libertyville (7-2) Beat Zion-Benton 35-8 / winner of Noble-Muchin/Noble-UIC

19. Barrington (5-4) Beat Schaumburg 70-0 / Waubonsie Valley

20. Fremd (6-3) Beat Palatine 28-7 / Chicago Taft